Head Coach Kevin Stefanski (11.11.22)
Opening statement:
“Have to go on the road, play good football and try to get a win down in Miami. A good football team that we are facing, like we talked about all week. Presents a ton of challenges for our offense, for our defense and for our special teams. When you go on the road against a really good opponent, you have to play complementary football for 60 minutes. That is what we have worked real hard this week to prepare for.”
On the impact of TE David Njoku and LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah being ruled out this week due to injury:
“Those are the things in the NFL you have to be ready for. Obviously, didn’t have David there last week and JOK so you practice other guys and you get them ready, all the while using all of these days to try and get them to the game. That is the NFL where sometimes you find out a play into a game that you don’t have a guy, sometimes you are getting close and sometimes you know you don’t have them for a couple of weeks. That is our job as coaches and as players just to have a plan and then guys have to be ready to step up.”
On if there was a chance Owusu-Koramoah may have been considered available for Sunday’s game prior to seeing Owusu-Koramoah’s status while practicing:
“With all of those guys, you are using all of the time you have available to you. Obviously, you are doing rehab and you are getting updates on said rehab. Use as much time and then you have to be smart with each one of these players.”
On if Njoku experienced a setback with the injury this week:
“No. He is trying like crazy, as you can imagine.”
On if Owusu-Koramoah experienced a setback with the injury this week:
“No.”
On how G Wyatt Teller looked in practice this week:
“Good. Again, another guy who was here all weekend over that bye using every minute available to him to get better. I think he is obviously progressing.”
On DE Myles Garrett not being listed with an injury designation this week and if that sets up Garrett to a successful second half of the season:
“You hope so, but we all have to go out there and do it. With any injury that any player is dealing with, as time goes on it starts to heal, but poll that locker room, you are not going to get anybody who feels 100 percent. He is still, I am sure, working through it like all of our guys, but he is able to practice, and like you said, it is not holding him back.”
On the Browns offense getting creative with Njoku out and if that could serve the team well later in the season:
“That is every week where you are, ‘Alright, who is available to us? Who are we facing? What do we have to put together?’ Again, we have many capable players at different positions. You have to be sometimes creative and sometimes back to the basics and those type of things. I think you have seen over the years that our players have very much a next-man-up mentality when dealing with injuries. Disappointed in this case, like with David, but ultimately, just the guys who are available to us have to be ready to go.”
On if the Browns may use their jumbo and muscle formations more this week with Njoku unavailable:
“Potentially. It really depends on play and what you are trying to accomplish on that given play because we do have guys who are capable, and you can certainly jump into other personnel groupings to run plays. Again, David is a big part of who we are, he is a good football player and I don’t want to take anything away from him, but there are other guys we can go to and there are other personnel groupings you can go to.”
On the Browns having a full complement of CBs available for this week’s game against the Dolphins:
“Obviously, excited to get Denzel back out there. We know the challenge. It is a huge challenge – some great receivers, a great quarterback and the scheme is really, really good. We understand the challenge so it is good to have those guys.”
On CB Martin Emerson Jr.’s performance this season:
“I think MJ has been really good going back to the spring. I think he is a guy who you love his mentality and you love how he just goes out there and is physical, fights and doesn’t back down. I think that is half the battle a lot of times with corners. He has the right mental makeup. I think all of these reps that he gets in games only serve him as he continues on his career. I think young players, they get to play early and sometimes guys play earlier than you want, not necessarily the case of MJ, but he has gotten a ton of really good reps that I believe you could build on.”
On DE Jadeveon Clowney’s potential when fully healthy:
“I think JD and with (DE Myles) Garrett playing together, that is a lot of length that the offense has to deal with, and then JD plays so disruptive in the run game and in the pass game and you can rush him inside and outside so he gives you some versatility. Particularly with our top two guys out there, there is length, which I think is tough for defenses.”
On if QB Deshaun Watson will be on the field next week when eligible to return to practice, the first of which is on Wednesday:
“Yes.”
On if he can share the team’s plans with Watson next week:
“Not yet.”
On if he could share more about the team’s plans with Watson next week, including the distribution of practice reps:
“I could share, yes (laughter). I have talked to the guys. We kind of have a plan for that moving forward. Deshaun is a great, great teammate. He has been awesome having him back in the building and in the meetings rooms. That is the next step in this where he can he get out there and practice.”
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